I just got my annual State Of Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks Department questionaire.This particular questionaire is sent to all holders of Montana Trappers Licenses.Each years questionaire has a table of recent average pelt prices at auction.Coyote pelts average prices during the winter of 2,010/2,011 were listed at an impressive $73.16!I think I left about $731.60 worth of pelts laying on the ground last season!My Coyote Hunting plans and policies may just change for the upcoming winter!I buy a Montana Trappers License every year to allow me to Rifle Hunt Bobcat and Wolverine.No license is needed in Montana to Hunt Red Fox or Coyote.Some of the average pelt prices at auction I will list along with the prices from recent previous years to show the trend.

On this forum (and so many others!) I have recently seen where folks state that Coyote pelt prices are such that they aren't worth saving - well at $73.16, in this economy, I think more folks are going to be saving and processing Coyote pelts.I have two friends who sell tanned wild creature pelts here in SW Montana at their stores - these pelts include everything from Ermine to Mink to Fisher along with Coyote, Fox, Badger, Marten, Beaver and others.They virtually sell out every year!Granted these sales are to "tourist" type folks as opposed to the commercial furriers of decades past but a cash sale IS still a cash sale!Fur friendly bullets anyone?Hold into the windVarmintGuy

Those numbers are hard to beleive although they are for finished good northern silvers I'm sure. The prices I got last year were about the same as 3 years ago and 2 years ago I couldn't sell a pelt around here.

For instance, 3 seasons ago I averaged about $12/per coyote. 2 seasons ago, no buyer around here would buy a coyote. Then last year, once again was getting about $12 per coyote. Coyotes all sold in the round.

$12. Ea and all you had to do was throw them on the ground in front of the guy, not bad considering he had to skin(a cold coyote), flesh, clean the fur, sew bullet holes, stretch, dry, ship to auction and hope his lot sells at a profit and doesn't get held over. Thats why the numbers you see at auction are so different from what you get in the round.

Erich

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After the first shot the rest are just noise.

$12. Ea and all you had to do was throw them on the ground in front of the guy, not bad considering he had to skin(a cold coyote), flesh, clean the fur, sew bullet holes, stretch, dry, ship to auction and hope his lot sells at a profit and doesn't get held over. Thats why the numbers you see at auction are so different from what you get in the round.

Erich

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After the first shot the rest are just noise.

Sscoyote: Now that may be a factor - I am also seeing more Coyotes with mange myself here in SW Montana.The Fox were very much diminished (by 90%!) here in SW Montana several years ago and their numbers to date have NOT recovered.I have even heard reports of Wolves with mange hereabouts.Hold into the windVarmintGuy